Source: Digital advanced copy via Net Galley with permission from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Summary:

In “I Don’t Know,” Corrigan wrestles to make peace with uncertainty, whether it’s over expected invitations that never come or a friend’s agonizing infertility. In “No,” she admires her mother’s ability to set boundaries, her liberating willingness to be unpopular. In “Tell Me More,” she learns something important about listening from a facialist named Tish. And in “I Was Wrong,” she comes clean about her disastrous role in a family fight–and explains why saying sorry may not be enough. With refreshing candor, a deep well of empathy, and her signature desire to understand “the thing behind the thing,” Corrigan swings in this insightful book between meditations on life with a preoccupied husband and two mercurial teenage daughters to profound observations on love and loss.

In channeling the characteristically streetwise, ever-relatable voice that has defined Corrigan’s work, Tell Me More is a meaningful, touching take on the power of the right words at the right moment to change everything.

My Thoughts:

I first became acquainted with Kelly Corrigan when I watched a talk she had given, Transcending, and then read her book The Middle Place. This was my very first book review, March of 2009, prior to that the blog and been more about my family and my changing role as mother, daughter, caregiver. To say I was smitten with Corrigan is an understatement.

Written in a comfortable conversional style, Kelly Corrigan’s books are like listening to a really good and smart friend. You want to be her friend. To have her in your corner. Tell Me More takes 12 phrases that say easy and do hard, and delves into how Kelly has been working at doing better, accepting these simple things and working towards understanding them. Topics include, I Love You, I Don’t Know, I Know, No, Yes, It’s Like This, I Was Wrong, and perhaps most gripping, No Words at All.
Her observations are ones you may have already discovered or ones you’re working to learn and achieve. Kelly is open and honest and not afraid to share the things she is afraid of. The most gut wrenching reality is the loss of her dear father, Greenie. My own dad has been gone nearly 5 years and still I can hear his voice and the unrelenting support he gave me.

I enjoyed this book very much, it’s a short read and again written in a way that the pages fly by and while you will likely laugh and cry, you will feel good about the time spent.

Thank you again Random House for allowing me early access to this book.

Source: Digital galley via Edelwiess with permission from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Summary:

If you were told the date of your death, how would it shape your present?

It’s 1969 in New York City’s Lower East Side, and word has spread of the arrival of a mystical woman, a traveling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day they will die. The Gold children—four adolescents on the cusp of self-awareness—sneak out to hear their fortunes.

The prophecies inform their next five decades. Golden-boy Simon escapes to the West Coast, searching for love in ’80s San Francisco; dreamy Klara becomes a Las Vegas magician, obsessed with blurring reality and fantasy; eldest son Daniel seeks security as an army doctor post-9/11, hoping to control fate; and bookish Varya throws herself into longevity research, where she tests the boundary between science and immortality.

A sweeping novel of remarkable ambition and depth, The Immortalists probes the line between destiny and choice, reality and illusion, this world and the next. It is a deeply moving testament to the power of story, the nature of belief, and the unrelenting pull of familial bonds. (publisher)

My Thoughts:

This book is the story of four children, and when given the dates of their death from a fortune teller, how it impacts each of them.

The longer part of the book begins with the passing of their father Saul Gold, a tailor and clothing designer. His children are now teen to young adult in age, and as they grieve their father’s death they all begin to explore their immortality, and how they will explore and spend their lives.

Simon is just 16 as he boldly runs off this his sister Klara, his life is best described as risky and carefree. Klara is mesmerized by magic and the art of illusion. Daniel seems to me the most honest and realistic of the four, but his careful nature impact much more than just himself. Varya’s research and dedication to work cover much deeper secrets and obsessions she wants to hide.

Chloe Benjamin works her own magic in detailing each of the Gold offspring. Her details of life in the Castro area of San Francisco in the late 70’s and early 80’s is brilliant and honest and also sad. In a time when gay men had begun to feel open and free, it was also the beginning of the yet unnamed AIDS crisis. Her depiction of this time is both emotionally and historically correct. The intricacies of the world of magic and performing the tricks and illusions were fascinating. I loved the historical and insider look. As Benjamin dug deeper into each sibling and his or her own psyche the details were amazing. They were all clearly cognizant of their date of death prediction, and yet they all managed it in unique ways. I saw Daniel as balanced, but deep down I began to see the emotions he had been dealing with all his life. Varya also had dove into her research on longevity, how to give humans even longer lives, and she had limited herself to such a small personal life, she was missing so very much, and attempting to hide too.

This book will mesmerize you, and take you along such a long and often difficult journey. You will question your own choices, and think about your own mortality. I can’t recommend it enough, it will haunt me and stay with me for a long time.

Source: I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

Summary:

A novel of suspense that explores the complexities of marriage and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.
When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.
You will assume you are reading about a jealous wife and her obsession with her replacement.
You will assume you are reading about a woman about to enter a new marriage with the man she loves.
You will assume the first wife was a disaster and that the husband was well rid of her.
You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.
Assume nothing.

My Thoughts:

There are a handful of books that I’ve read where saying much of anything may take away from the suspense and intended thrill ride of reading the book. This is one of those times. As an avid reader I think myself observant and prepared for a book that boasts that I won’t know anything, and then when I am totally gobsmacked I love it!

Richard falls in love with Nellie, sweeps her off her feet, marries her and takes her away from the hustle of NYC. What we are told by Nellie is disturbing, but we are also privy to his love and tenderness with a woman, her replacement? Richard isn’t who he seems, but then again, no one is who they seem in this book.

Written with such precise language, and keeping up mystery and intrigue, as if always watching from the dark shadows, this book is brilliant. Never sure if your sympathies are with the right person or who is who…I loved every twisty chapter!

I’m always curious how two authors write together, as this book seems absolutely seamless and flows with all it’s curious and startling observations.

I’ve been a fan of Sarah Pekkanen since her very first novel, and this work with Greer Hendricks goes so much deeper and reveals more of both their talents.

Thank you always to Katie Bassel of St. Martin’s Press…you send me the most wonderful books, and I am always grateful. MIZ-

Grab this book up now….it’s going to blow your mind!

]]>http://www.anitalovesbooks.com/2018/01/09/review-the-wife-between-us/feed/53702It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? December 4http://www.anitalovesbooks.com/2017/12/04/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-december-4/
http://www.anitalovesbooks.com/2017/12/04/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-december-4/#commentsMon, 04 Dec 2017 21:40:33 +0000http://www.anitalovesbooks.com/?p=3647Read more »]]>

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

Hi all! Coming to you a little late on Monday afternoon, but we were away this weekend at DisneyWorld and I was just too tired last night. We had a wonderful weekend, stayed on property and visited parks and lots of resorts. The holiday decorations are a sight to be seen! If you follow me on FB or Instagram(Anitalovesbooks) you can see all the fun.

What I finished:

I loved this book by Elizabeth Berg. Review coming soon, but if you are in the mood for a positive book dealing with life, aging, death and all kinds of love, grab this books up!

I knew this would be a tough listen, one that would make me upset all over again that Trump is the 45th President. Katy Tur was reporting on the Trump campaign from the very beginning. She admits she was a novice political reporter, talk about initiation by fire! She appears to have caught the eye of Trump and she bore much of the brunt of his continued onslaught of rhetoric bashing the news media. Her life was threatened and she had to have extra security. When you listen to, or read, the details again of the daily ups and downs and dramatic turns of the campaign it is a shocking reminder of how this country elected this man. A year later I am still in shock and sadness about this president. I applaud Katy Tur for writing this book. Very good.

Currently Reading:

A couple of winter/holiday type books that I’m really reading a little of at a time, and I’m just starting this new book coming in January, The Wife Between Us.

What’s Up Next:

Books publishing in December and January. Can’t wait!!

]]>http://www.anitalovesbooks.com/2017/12/04/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-december-4/feed/23647It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? November 27http://www.anitalovesbooks.com/2017/11/26/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-november-27/
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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

Happy Monday y’all!! If you live in the US I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Mine was very nice. Two of the three kids were home, and I cooked all the traditional foods and after hours and hours of cooking the meal was over in an hour..ha ha, isn’t that the way! We watched parades and football games and enjoyed each other. Our little Yorkie is the worst around other dogs, and she was awful with Adrienne’s dog. Sally, an adopted pit bull mix was so good, she is nervous around other dogs too and she spent most of the time in the bedroom, but was so well behaved.

I had a little more luck in reading.

Finished this week:

The audio was very well done, and I really enjoyed the stories in this book. Look for a full review soon.

Currently Reading:

Enjoying both of these, but honestly the light comfortable feel of Winter Storms is just what I’ve been needing.

Currently Listening:

I know I know, I should let politics go, but the reality of this kind of shit just continues to gobsmack me.

What’s Up Next:

December begins at the end of this week…wow the last month of 2017. Reading will be a great escape from the too often stressful push of Christmas. I no longer do that craze filled thing, or I try not to. Our children are adults now, and so no rush for the best toys…ha ha. Everything does not have to be perfect, and I am completely good with that.Have a wonderful week…..happy reading, I hope you’ll share your recent favorites.

Source: Digital galley via Net Galley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Summary:

From the author of The Good Neighbor and The Glass Wives comes an enchanting story of returning home and discovering what truly matters after loss.

No one knows why Teddi Lerner left her hometown, but everyone knows why she’s back.

Twelve-year-old Shayna— talented, persistent, and adorable—persuaded “Aunt Tee” to return to Chance, Ohio, to photograph her father’s wedding. Even though it’s been six years since Shay’s mother, Celia, died, Teddi can hardly bear the thought of her best friend’s husband marrying someone else. But Teddi’s bond with Shay is stronger than the hurt.

Teddi knows it’s time to face the consequences of her hasty retreat from family, friends, and, her old flame, but when she looks through her viewfinder, nothing in her small town looks the same. That’s when she truly sees the hurt she’s caused and—maybe—how to fix it.

After the man she once loved accuses Teddi of forgetting Celia, Teddi finally admits why she ran away, and the guilt she’s carried with her. As Teddi relinquishes the distance that kept her safe, she’ll discover surprising truths about the people she left behind, and herself. And she’ll finally see what she overlooked all along.

My Thoughts:

Teddi returns home, the small town where she grew up, had a best friend and a young woman’s love affair. Having left home six years ago after her best friend’s death she’s never gone back. Despite the fact that she loves Celia’s daughter, Shayna, and has kept in touch with her with coordinated visits in other cities. Teddi has been working for a large hotel chain, becoming their photographer and capturing many high profile weddings and other events.

Small town Chance Ohio has changed, the outskirts growing a lot, and yet the bones of the town have remained similar, but different. Teddi is nervous and feels a strain in being back, and photographing the wedding of Celia’s widowed husband. She also begins to see that Shayna, 12, is not a little girl, but a young tween with many confused ideas about love and where her family is going.

I loved everything about this book, learning about Teddi’s pain, and also seeing her open up sharing eventually with the people that were still in Chance, and her still loved her. She wants so much to make things good for Shay, but she starts out not having a clue.

Amy Sue Nathan pulls these characters together to not make a pretty picture of going home, but a gut wrenching reality of life. A look at the mistakes we make, and how we struggle to right them and make a better life. Teddi is lovable but so lost, and I wanted to be her friend, and give her a hand in turning around her fears and confusion about going home. In the end she had many friends, old and new that gave her that push.

I highly recommend this book. It’s perfect for this time of year, when we think of family and friends ,and often going home. Thank you again to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley.

]]>http://www.anitalovesbooks.com/2017/11/21/review-left-to-chance/feed/13626It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? November 20http://www.anitalovesbooks.com/2017/11/20/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-november-20/
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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

I didn’t finish any books this past week. For some reason I just couldn’t make time to sit and read. I know this will be a busy week with the holiday but I still hope to make time for more reading.

I’m reading one book and listening to one.

I’m only about 100 pages into this book, but loving the letters, mostly between Thomas and E. My limited knowledge of WWI is expanding a bit and I’ve been gutted by some of the horrific events of war.

I’m more than 50% done with this in audio, and the story is so very well written. The cast of characters all involved in the textile mills or the politics of stopping unions, or building unions are wonderful. We take for granted that we now have workers rights with decent conditions and something more decent in wages. I highly recommend this book.

What’s up next:

I really need to get to the Elin Hilderbrand books, they will be light and good for busy holiday time.

I hope you’ve had a great week of reading, please share!

]]>http://www.anitalovesbooks.com/2017/11/20/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-november-20/feed/23637Very Short Book Reviewshttp://www.anitalovesbooks.com/2017/11/16/very-short-book-reviews/
http://www.anitalovesbooks.com/2017/11/16/very-short-book-reviews/#commentsThu, 16 Nov 2017 05:05:16 +0000http://www.anitalovesbooks.com/?p=3628Read more »]]>I’ve read many books this year that I haven’t shared reviews. These three happen to be from March of this year. These were all E-galleys sent to me for an honest review. All good books, all character driven and all somehow linked to sex. Enjoy!

Suzette and Hyland have been married fifteen years and and had decided against children, when her husband changes his mind and suggests a surrogate life changes for all three of them.

I really enjoy the work of Amanda Eyre Ward. This book was much deeper than I expected, unsure of where a book about surrogacy would lead. Motherhood is of course a complicated journey, and of course Suzette’s mother had tainted her images for all her life. Everything we experience becomes part of how we grow and become adults and spouses and perhaps parents. Full review to come, but I enjoyed this book very much. I gave this 4 stars in goodreads.

Amber and Tyler are friends, though he has had a crush on her for a long time. She returns home after college graduation and after a flirtation and alcohol induced Tyler kisses her, and what happens next will change everything.

In alternating points of view, It Happens All the Time examines the complexity of sexual dynamics between men and women and offers an incisive exploration of gender roles, expectations, and the ever-timely issue of consent.(publisher)

It’s been months since I finished this book and it’s still difficult to put into words all my thoughts. Sexual consent is so critical to what we teach and what we ourselves learned growing up. My vision of a rapist wasn’t the frat boy or the football player we flirted with. Yet I know that many of my friends were put into awful situations with our presumed friends. Read this book. Talk about it with your kids and your friends. Be aware and be a voice for change in our society. Amy Hatvany has given real faces to all the parties involved in acquaintance rape. Her brutal honesty rips your heart out.

As it weaves between Lane’s first Roanoke summer and her return, The Roanoke Girls shocks and tantalizes, twisting its way through revelation after mesmerizing revelation, exploring the secrets families keep and the fierce and terrible love that both binds them together and rips them apart.(publisher)

There is no secret to the fact that incest is a major theme in this book. The mystery of Lane’s missing cousin Allegra is long and winding. The story is told in Then, Now, and from others points of view. Set in a small, rural Kansas town, the Roanoke girls are full of mystique and tragedy.
I almost quit reading this book twice, but continued because I really needed to find out what happened. Don’t be concerned with graphic sex, there is none, but the psychological damage done is very deep.

Source: This book was sent to me from the publisher for a fair and honest review

Summary:

In the spirit of Humans of New York and PostSecret, MUSEUM OF BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS is a gorgeous gift book celebrating the objects that outlast love: a poignant, funny, sometimes bizarre and always delightful window into modern love and loss.
A postcard from a childhood sweetheart. A wedding dress sealed in a jar. A roll of undeveloped film. An axe used to chop an ex-lover’s furniture in a fit of rage. A wind-up toy, a bar of bath soap, a tin of Love Potion with the simple caption “Doesn’t work.” These objects, and many more, make up the whimsical, imaginative, poignant population of the Museum of Broken Relationships. Started by two former lovers who wanted a way to commemorate their relationship even after it ended, who couldn’t bear to simply throw away the objects that had once meant so much, the Museum of Broken Relationships has captured hearts and imaginations around the globe since its founding in 2010. Anonymous submissions have poured in by the thousands: objects with brief, compelling captions confessing to the story behind their meaning. The museum’s Croatian exhibit quickly became a main draw for tourists from around the globe, and has garnered enthusiastic, glowing media attention from sources as disparate as the New York Times and the Chinese national news. Now, as the physical museum arrives for a permanent spot in Los Angeles, the authors have collected the best, funniest, most heartwarming and heartrending stories from their huge selection of submissions. Much like the bestselling Postsecret series, this beautiful oversized, four-color book will offer an irresistible glimpse inside other people’s secret worlds, creating moments of deep human connection. It is a must read for anyone who has ever loved and lost.

My Thoughts:

I wasn’t sure what to expect in this book, but I was curious as to what others would leave behind to remember past loves. Shown in one or two page stories including a photo of the item, the broken relationship length is shared and the location of where it came from. The story, or prose is told from a personal point of view and some are just gut wrenching. The objects and stories are donated to this Museum, which began as an art installation, and has since traveled to many cities and as stated above is now a permanent display in Los Angeles.

This is more of a book to peruse through at your leisure, one to have out on a coffee table and a conversation piece. I see it opening up to discussion of what item you might give to a broken relationship of your past, with friends or partners or family.

Thank you Grand Central Publishing for this very intimate and curious look into the hearts of other people. They have also offered two copies of The Museum of Broken Relationships to my readers. Contest open to US and Canadian addresses. Leave your information below to be entered. Winner will be chosen by random drawing Monday November 20th approximately 1am. Thanks so much and Good Luck

[contact-form]

]]>http://www.anitalovesbooks.com/2017/11/14/the-museum-of-broken-relationships/feed/03614It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? November 13http://www.anitalovesbooks.com/2017/11/13/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-november-13/
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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

Really great books, and I was starting to feel like I’m on a roll with loving all the books I’m reading…but then…something I didn’t love.

Abandoned:

I was about 25% into this advanced e galley and I’m not sure I want to keep reading. I’m not in love with the characters and it’s moving a little slow moving up to any major conflict. I may return to this book.

Currently Reading:

I haven’t actually started either of theses but these are my reading plans for this week. Everyone is raving about Last Christmas in Paris, and I love books written in letters. The Story of Arthur Truluv is from of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Berg, it’s publishing next week, so I am excited to read it.

Currently Listening:

What can I say? Wiley Cash writes so beautifully and with such a passion for his characters. I am loving this story of Ella May, the struggles of everyone who works in the textile mills and the hope for a better wages, and working conditions the Union gives her and others. The mixed points of view and dual time line just seem to add to this book.

What’s Next:

I’ve listened to the first two books in the Winter Series from Elin Hilderbrand, I have the last two in digital book format and they are really delightful holiday reads. The author is also going to be at a book store near me on November 20th and I’d like to meet her.

Lisa Genova‘s book publishes in March, and I look forward to this new one.